Werewolves
by Hyperteenager24
Summary: Six men who participated in hunting trip are being killed by an animal who tears their throats out like a wolf. The Young Assassins and Vex must investigate these killings, plus the supposed return of an ancient cult. Part 7 in the Modern Assassins Series
1. Chapter 1

As well as my Evie & Jacob one shots, I am also writing a modern Assassin's creed series

Previously in this series: After being framed for a crime, Jacob left the Order and the Assassin village. Five year later, the Young Assassin team meet Vex and enter into an agreement with him and his club.

After a bombing at the club, it is revealed that Shay Patrick Cormac has escaped the high security prison he was in…. and is now in the wind. Jacob however, after making a brief appearance at a festival, is still in the wind.

Please enjoy, and read and review J

…

"Jacob why are we doing this?"

Jacob glanced back at his sister and beamed at her, a large torch in his hand as they crept through the corridors of the Assassin library. "You heard Dad…. There's a forbidden section! That's like saying, 'come on children, bet you can't break in here!'"

"… I'm pretty sure that's not what he meant by 'forbidden.'"

"I don't care!"

Evie rolled her eyes at her brothers' sing-song voice, watching critically as he picked the locks that prevented anyone from entering the forbidden section of the library.

"… Are you going to take any longer?"

"Patience sister of mine, patience."

Eventually, the lock pinged open and Jacob mutely whooped in glee. "Success!"

Before Evie could say anything, her twin rushed into the section, leaving her behind in the darkness.

"Jacob!" she hissed, "Jacob!"

"Over here!"

Slowly, she headed in the direction of Jacob's voice, frowning when she saw him shining the torch up at several dusty shelves. "Look at this…" the fifteen-year-old chuckle, "… the Lair of Romulus? Ain't that what Ezio's doing his whole project on for history?"

"Yeeees."

"… We could totally get this book for him!"

"Noooooo."

Clambering onto the desk, Jacob reached up to grab the book… which refused to come out.

"See, this is why we should have access…" Jacob grunted, tugging on the book, "… some of these books are stuck togeth- WOAH!"

With one sharp tug, the book came free… unfortunately, due to the unexpectedness of it, Jacob lost his balance and fell backwards off the table, landing heavily on the ground.

The loud crash echoed throughout the entire library, closely followed by the sound of someone rushing into the room.

"Hello?!" called out a guard Assassin, "Who's there?"

Evie glared at her brother as they shuffled across the floor, remaining as low as possible as Jacob switched the torch off.

They could hear the guard walking closer, already walking towards the forbidden section, prompting them to hide under a nearby table, remaining as quiet as possible.

"Evie!"

Evie twisted around and frowned…. Her brother had his eyes tightly closed and his hand over his mouth… he didn't say anything.

"Evie!"

Yeah… he definitely didn't say anything.

"Evie!"

Evie awoke with a gasp, shooting into a seated position and almost colliding heads with Henry, who was leaning over her.

Thankfully, her boyfriend dodged, shuffling back on the bed. "Sorry…" he apologised, "… bad dream?"

"No…. no i-I was…" she took a deep breath, "… I was dreaming about Jacob…. About the time we snuck into the forbidden section of the library."

"That was you two?"

Evie chuckled, "Oh yeah… Jacob was thrilled when we weren't caught." She then glanced at the clock by their bed and frowned, "It's seven a.m on our day off…. What's wrong?"

"… We're needed in the Council Room. All of us."

…..

"At six thirty this morning, a body was found in the east quarter of the town." Grandmaster Altair began, "Martin Hardy was the Vice Chancellor of the Dominion Bank; however, this was only found out after searching the body."

The Young Assassin team frowned, glancing between the Council and Sergeant Abberline, who was standing by a large white screen.

"I don't want to ask this…" Edward sighed, "… but why did they have to search the body to identify him?"

Freddie pressed a button, and the body of the man appeared of the screen, horrifying injuries all over his face, blood pooling underneath his head. "He was mauled to death…" the officer sighed, "… him and his two German Shepherds."

Frowning, Ezio raised a hand, "The east quarter? Why is a banker walking his dogs down there? And in the dark?"

"We have no idea… apparently it wasn't his normal route." Freddie zoomed in on the neck of the victim, "We brought Leo in to have a look, and he determined that the cause of death, unsurprisingly, was the fact that his throat had been torn open."

"Torn how?"

"… Leo said it was like a bite. Like a dog grabbed his throat and ripped it."

"One single dog would have some trouble dealing with two fully grown German Shepherds…" Connor spoke up, "…. So maybe we're looking at something bigger?"

"Like a wolf maybe?" Haytham interrupted, from his Council seat, "I know you've seen wolf wounds Connor. Can you accurately say whether that's the case or not?"

"Not that wound, it's too… jagged."

"And..." Freddie spoke up, "… I think someone would have noticed a wolf wandering around the town."

As the rest of the team nodded in agreement, Freddie shook his head. "Look… usually I'd let the police handle this, rather than getting you all involved but the media has gone mental and the Mayor is breathing down my boss's neck… apparently he used to play golf with the victim."

"Well…" Evie spoke up turning to Connor, "… if it is a wolf, I believe you should be able to track it?"

"Yes… if it is a wolf that did this, which it is not."

"Oh?"

Connor gestured at the picture, "A wolf would have tried to eat the corpse of both the man and the dogs… it wouldn't have just bitten them and run away."

"Maybe it was scared off?"

Before Connor could answer, Freddie spoke up once again. "Another thing I should mention…" he pressed another button and a picture of a gun showed up, "… the victim had this in his hand. It seems to indicate that he had it out and ready when he was killed. It is still fully loaded, as though he didn't have time to fire a shot."

"… That is strange." Evie nodded in agreement, before turning to Connor, "… I know it may not be an actual wolf, but can you still but your tracking skills to good use?"

"I will do my very best."

"Excellent…" Evie then turned to Freddie, "… and we'll try and figure out why a prominent banker was out at that time in the night, in that area of the town, with a loaded gun and two guard dogs."


	2. Chapter 2

As well as my Evie & Jacob one shots, I am also writing a modern Assassin's creed series

Previously in this series: After being framed for a crime, Jacob left the Order and the Assassin village. Five year later, the Young Assassin team meet Vex and enter into an agreement with him and his club.

After a bombing at the club, it is revealed that Shay Patrick Cormac has escaped the high security prison he was in…. and is now in the wind. Jacob however, after making a brief appearance at a festival, is still in the wind.

Please enjoy, and read and review J

…

"I don't know what he was doing there…" Mrs Hardy sobbed, "… he just said he was taking the dogs out and that he'd be back in an hour…. And then he kissed me. If I'd known that it was going to be the last time- "

As the new widow started to sob again, Freddie leaned forwards and gave her his best sympathetic smile. "Mrs Hardy… I know this is hard for you, but… your husband was carrying a gun with him. Was this usual?"

Mrs Hardy frowned, "A gun…. No, no, no, Martin only ever used guns for hunting…. He never took one out with him."

"Maybe he was having trouble with someone?"

"N-No! He got on with everyone!"

"… But he had two guard dogs?"

Mrs Hardy frowned at this, "Well… he only got those last month. Martin said there were lurkers in this area…. But maybe it was something else."

"… What do you mean?"

"One night I woke up and he was standing by the window… just staring out at something, or like he was looking for someone."

Freddie nodded in understanding, before asking another question. "Mrs Hardy… do you know if your husband had an appointment book or a diary? Something like that?"

There was a brief moment of silence, before Mrs Hardy nodded, "He wrote up everything on his laptop… if you want to know anything else, it'll be on there."

…

"How many tracks could there be in concrete?" Edward groaned, watching as Connor paced back and forth.

"None."

"Then why are we tracking when there's nothing to track? You looking for overturned stones? A few broken sticks? Something like that?"

Knowing his cousin was teasing, Connor rolled his eyes. "You know as well as I do, that there are always tracks… we just have to find the next one."

"…. Ziio would love this."

Connor nodded in agreement, "I remember tracking wild animals in the Boston woods…. She loved it" Suddenly, Connor darted forwards, focusing on something in the mud, "Look at this."

Edward glanced down as well, frowning at the sight. "Those are a man's footprints… not a wolf's"

"But look at the way they're facing… whoever it was, was facing the wall or- "

"- or peering around the wall!" Edward did just that, before spinning around to face Connor, "We might have a witness to the attack… or they're involved."

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"Huh?"

Connor turned and pointed at some more tracks heading away, "Look at these…. He was running."

"Yeah, fleeing the scene of the crime!"

"Or running for his life."

…

Going through Mister Hardy's emails was a simple task and revealed new leads… for example;

"Do you know a Jake S, Mrs Hardy?" Freddie asked, focusing on a particular email that read 'We need to talk'

Just that… 'We need to talk.'

"O-Only one…" Mrs Hardy frowned, "… Jacob Summers. He's an architect, a friend of Martin's."

Freddie nodded in understanding, already pulling out his mobile. This was a job for Ezio.

….

"PULL!"

Ezio watched as the clay disc went flying into the air, and Mister Summers fired at it… missing it completely.

"Damn!"

"Jacob Summers?"

Mister Summers and his companion both turned to stare at the Assassin, who smirked at the pair. "Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I was hoping to ask you a few questions."

The other man, turned back to Mister Summers, "We'll speak later… good luck" He then went to leave, not looking Ezio in the eye.

"How can I help you Auditore?" Mister Summers asked, reloading his shotgun.

"I understand you know a Martin Hardy?"

"Yes, I did…" Mister Summers sighed, "… terrible what happened to him."

Pulling out his phone, Ezio brought up a photo of the email and showed it to Mister Summers. "Did you send this email to Mister Hardy?"

Mister Summers glanced at the photo and frowned at the message within it. "… Do you think I had something to do with his death?"

"I'll repeat the question. Did you send this email to Mister Hardy?"

"No."

"Strange…" Ezio smirked, "… apparently he only knew one Jake S, and that was you."

"I sign all my emails Mister J. Summers, everyone knows that."

"Including Mister Hardy?"

"I'd hope so, considering we did business together almost every month."

"I'd still like to know your movements for yesterday afternoon and evening."

Mister Summers sneered at this, "I am not this Jake S."

"… Your whereabouts Sir."

Another sneer, "Fine. I was at the office until six pm, and then I spent the rest of the evening at the Waverly's Men club. PULL!"

This time, he hit it.

…

Connor and Edward made their way through the woods, carefully following the tracks.

"Where the fuck is this guy going?" Edward asked, pushing branch after branch out of his way.

Suddenly, Connor stopped and held his fingers up to his lips, indicating that Edward should remain quiet, as he gestured at a pair of legs sticking out of a bush.

"Great…" Edward muttered, "… this was all for some drunk?" He strode over and kicked the drunk in the leg, "Come on dude, get up. We need to ask you some questions."

. ….

"The email that Mister Hardy received was sent while Mister Summer was in his club…" Freddie reported back to the group, "… and several people have confirmed that he was there."

"Maybe he got someone else to send it?" Arno asked.

Ezio interjected here, "Yeah maybe… but there is the issue of the email signature."

"He could have slipped up."

"Or, Mister Summer is telling the truth and it's the killer who slipped up?"

"So…" Freddie sighed, "… Hardy gets the email and realises that he's being lured to this location. Why not come to us, the police?"

"Criminal activity?" Henry spoke up.

"Possibly… so Hardy thinks he has the upper hand and prepares for a fight.

Evie nodded in agreement, "But two large dogs and a gun aren't enough to stop the killer."

As everyone mused on this, Edward cleared his throat and spoke up. "Me and Connor might have a lead on that actually."

"You found a wolf?"

"… Not exactly."

…

"I was a bit parched…" began the older man, "… and there's a fellow I know, who keeps a stash near the back of a boiler. If he keeps it in the house, his wife gets a hold of it."

"So…" Freddie frowned at the drunk, "… you thought you'd 'borrow' some?"

"Yeah, only borrow! I ain't no thief!"

"Of course not… so what happened next?"

"… I heard him and his dogs. They were howling and barking, it sounded like they were fighting for their lives."

"So, you went to see what was happening?"

"I-I saw the dogs lying there… t-torn to pieces!" The drunk's eyes were clouded in fear as he turned away, "And then I saw it."

"Saw what?"

"… A flash of fur."

"Like, a wolf perhaps?"

"Exactly! That's what it was! A wolf!"

"Hmmm… and did you see what happened to the victim?"

"No, but I heard him scream! So, I ran for it and hid… and then I saw him walk past."

"The wolf?"

"It wasn't a wolf! It was a man!"

Freddie frowned in confusion, "Earlier you said you saw a wolf, not a man, now which one was it?"

"You're not listening! A wolf killed him, but a man walked away!"

….

"Okay…" Ezio raised his hand, a smirk on his face, "… so we all agree that he's talking about a werewolf, right? And it was a full moon last night."

"Or…" Evie glared at her friend, "… it was a man and a wolf. The man was using his wolf to do his dirty work!"

"But the witness only saw the man leave!"

"He was probably drunk! Drunk people hallucinate or miss things entirely! Don't you remember how Jacob- "

She stopped in her tracks and cleared her throat, acting as though she'd never said a word. Before the silence could get too awkward, Connor cautiously spoke up. "Well… the witness didn't actually say he saw a wolf… not until Freddie prompted him. All he said he saw was a flash of fur, he heard the sounds of snarling and growling. It was only when Freddie mentioned wolf, that his mind made the connection."

"So, what if it was a mixture of both?" Arno spoke up, "Ezio, don't you remember the history essay you did? What if this is a man who believes he's an animal? Like the people from the Lair of Romulus."

"They didn't exactly believe they were animals, but I see your point." Ezio nodded in agreement, "A feral attack that led to a man walking away… it makes sense."

Freddie groaned at this, "Great… so we might have a lunatic with a taste for human blood, running about out there? The Mayor is going to love this!" He then paused and glanced at the team, "You all saw the wound…. How can a man tear out a throat like that?" Another pause, "And what kind of lunatic has the sense to send the victim an email, luring him to the location?!"

"All are good questions Freddie…" Evie held up her hand, "… Connor, Edward. Get back to the alleyway and double check that we don't have two sets of prints. A wolf's and a man's. Me and Henry will visit Vex… maybe he or someone in his little gang have spotted someone acting… feral, or with a wolf."


	3. Chapter 3

As well as my Evie & Jacob one shots, I am also writing a modern Assassin's creed series

Previously in this series: After being framed for a crime, Jacob left the Order and the Assassin village. Five year later, the Young Assassin team meet Vex and enter into an agreement with him and his club.

After a bombing at the club, it is revealed that Shay Patrick Cormac has escaped the high security prison he was in…. and is now in the wind. Jacob however, after making a brief appearance at a festival, is still in the wind.

Please enjoy, and read and review J

…

"The witness saw a man and a wolf… some suspect it may be lycanthropy, a feral human. However, I believe that a man may be using a wolf to do his dirty work for him."

Vex was silent, staring at Evie in slight amazement and shock. Wearing a top hat and his usual mask, Vex was dressed a little less fashionably than usual. A diamond patterned cardigan over a skull t-shirt, along with black ripped jeans.

"Have you considered an actual werewolf?" he eventually teased, howling as Evie and Henry glared at him, "You did say the victim had his throat ripped out. Classic werewolf attack, haven't you seen the old movies?"

"Vex… we just need to check with you that no-one has spotted someone acting strangely."

"No… and there are no wolves hanging around either as far as I've heard." Vex then frowned, "I've hear of 'feral' people attacking sheep because they're the natural prey of wolves and most predators… but humans?"

"If it's a man, then he's clearly delusional… although, he was lucid enough to send an email to the victim, luring him to the location. Personally, it makes no sense."

"Actually…" here, Kenzi spoke up, "… there have been cases where lycanthropes have lured people into secluded locations in order to kill and devour them… still insane mind you."

"Well I agree with Miss Frye…" Vex eventually concluded, "… a man with a trained wolf sounds slightly more plausible. We'll keep our eyes out."

….

"We're walking Edward, stop whinging."

Edward groaned as they leapt across the rooftops, "I'm just saying, we'll have to do this journey a lot, I can already tell… and taxi's in this town are awesome."

"…. Something tells me you're not keeping with the fitness regime."

"Nope."

…..

"Leo?"

Leonardo span round in his chair and beamed at Ezio, rushing over and pulling him into a hug, "Ezio! Sono cosi felice di vederti!"

Returning the hug, Ezio chuckled and lifted his boyfriend up off the ground. "We saw each this morning il mio amore!"

"Ugh, so long!"

"Well I'm afraid this is going to be a brief visit… do you have Mister Hardy's post-mortem results?"

"Oh sì, sì!" Leo rushed over to his desk, and grabbed some paper, "Nothing beyond the obvious. Cause of death was massive blood-loss due to the wound on his neck, jugular and carotid artery were both severed."

"Is it possible that the wound was caused by… sharpened fingernails or something?"

"Fingernails?"

"Part of a theory we're developing… that the murderer is feral, that he believes he's an animal, to the point where he might have sharpened his fingernails like claws?"

"Well… it might account for the width of the gash, but the wounds are symmetrical…" Leo gently grabbed Ezio's hand and held it up, "… but a hand isn't. And I don't think fingernails could withstand the force needed in order to tear the flesh like that… maybe that should be my new project?"

"Just let me know if I have to bury any bodies in advance."

Leo rolled his eyes at Ezio's tone and punched him in the arm, "Ha Ha…another thing to mention, Animal attacks are rare, so I did a bit of research and there's been three other, similar attacks in neighbouring towns. I sent them to your email…. Maybe there's a connection?"

"Maybe…" Ezio beamed at Leo and leant forwards, kissing his boyfriend before pulling away, "… ti amo."

"Ti amo anche io Ezio."

…..

"Here's a question… why do werewolves always change on the full moon? And if they kill, do they turn back into a man… if he bit us, would we then become werewolves?"

Connor nodded in agreement, "Hmmm, and what happened to their clothes? Do they turn back naked?"

"Exactly! I've always wondered that!"

Darting to one side, Connor pointed at something in the ground. "More prints."

"The witnesses?"

"No… these are different and I'm sure of it."

Edward's eyes widened in realisation, "The man the witness saw…. Any wolf prints."

"Not one." Pushing himself to his feet, Connor gestured for Edward to follow him, "We should see where these prints lead."

They headed down to near the river, near where the entrances to the old sewers were, where Connor stopped in his tracks.

"He went in there…" he gestured at the barred entrance, "… what's the plan?"

Suddenly serious, Edward straightened up, trying to see further into the sewers. "… It's too risky for us to go in there alone. Instead of one man, there could be several just waiting for us… we'll head back to base and re-group, sort out a plan, and then come back."

"I'll contact Evie and let her know."

Together, they headed back to the main roads…. Missing how two figures watched them leave, before heading to the sewer entrance.

…..

"Why can't we wait for the assassins to do this?" Kenzi groaned as they entered the sewers, "There are more of them and they're fricking assassins!"

Vex rolled his eyes, "Aren't you just a little bit curious? Werewolves and all that?"

"No, because this is ruining my new boots."

"Whinge, whinge, whinge…" Vex gracefully leapt over a largish puddle, before frowning as some of the mud got on his coat, "… there's been too much water in here…. Even Connor wouldn't be able to tell where this man went."

"Which means he could be at the other end of the city… or right around the next corner."

They glanced at one another, before Vex nodded nervously and started to back away. "Agreed… let's re-group with the Assassins and come back with reinforcements."

As they headed towards the exit, Vex suddenly heard a low growling from just behind them, causing them to spin around in alarm.

"Oh SHIT!"

…

"He's using the sewers then?" Freddie frowned, "That's a good way to move a wolf around the city."

"Actually…" Edward winced, "… we didn't find any wolf tracks."

"None at all?"

"None… and you know Connor would have found any if there any."

Freddie nodded in agreement with that, before frowning, "What about the man you were tracking?"

"We know he went into the sewers, but we decided to re-group up… safer, you know. Just in case."

Before anyone could say anything else, there was a voice from the doorway. "Yeah, I wish me and Kenzi had thought about that."

Everyone turned to the doorway, and there were several cries of shock.

Vex had blood dripping from a wound on the side of his neck, leaning heavily on Kenzi as the Assassins rushed over to help.

"What happened?" Asked Ezio, helping Vex to a seat.

Vex and Kenzi glanced at each other, shuffling nervously, until Vex cleared his throat and winced. "We… might have followed Connor and Edward… and then went into the sewers to see if we could find anything."

The Assassins all audibly groaned, with Evie rolling her eyes. "Why, why would you do that?"

"Call it a bout of bad judgement, but we soon decided that it was a little bit risky, so we decided to leave… only to be attacked.

"By what?" Freddie asked, concern in his voice as Henry pressed a disinfected rag against Vex's wound.

"Well, here's where it gets a little confusing…. I say it was a wolf who attacked us, but Kenzi say it was a man."

"Wait…" Evie frowned, "… you saw a wolf and she saw a man?! How?!"

Vex shrugged, "Well… I was looking into it's open jaws… the dangerous end, and Kenzi went to attack from the back, so she was staring at his arse- "

"- Hey! It was his claves! A man's calves!"

"My apologies Kenzi."

"So…" Freddie frowned, "… we're no closer to solving this than we were twelve hours ago."

"Actually…." Ezio spoke up this time, "… Leo found something interesting that might help." He walked up to the board and placed four pictures on it, pointing at the first one, "A Doctor in the next town over was found 3 months ago, his throat torn out. It was assumed to be a bear attack."

"But it could have been a wolf?" Freddie interrupted.

"Exactly. And in August, a member of the city council from another town was found, and his throat had also been torn out. Wild dogs were thought to be responsible. And then finally, another man was found in his back-garden."

"Let me guess…" Arno sighed, "… throat torn out?"

"Practically in pieces."

"And what was his profession?"

"Lawyer."

Freddie quickly connected the dots in his mind, "So Martin Hardy and these three… all killed in the same way and all high members of society."

"There's another connection… all three crimes were committed on the night of the full moon. And it's still a full moon tonight."

"We need to find his next target…. Evie ordered the rest of the team, "… find a personal connection between them Arno. If they're high members of society, you should be able to find something."


	4. Chapter 4

As well as my Evie & Jacob one shots, I am also writing a modern Assassin's creed series

Previously in this series: After being framed for a crime, Jacob left the Order and the Assassin village. Five year later, the Young Assassin team meet Vex and enter into an agreement with him and his club.

After a bombing at the club, it is revealed that Shay Patrick Cormac has escaped the high security prison he was in…. and is now in the wind. Jacob however, after making a brief appearance at a festival, is still in the wind.

Please enjoy, and read and review J

…

"I have it!"

Everyone turned to Arno, watching as their friends walked up to the board,

"There are actually several connections between the victims. The council member and the lawyer went to university together but didn't really get along according to sources. Mister Hardy, the council member and the lawyer all invested in the same oil-drilling scheme in Pennsylvania, which didn't go anywhere. And the Doctor was in the same gun club as Mister Hardy for some time."

"Gun club?" Ezio spoke up, his eyes narrowed in thought, "Which gun club?"

"The… Waverly's Men's club. They have a separate club for those who enjoy gun sports."

"… Jacob Summers is a member of that club." Ezio sighed, turning to the rest of the team (including Kenzi and Vex, who was prodding at his fresh bandages), "We need to check on him."

….

"His wife said he was working late." Henry reported, as he and Evie made their way up the wall of the outside of the building, heading towards the office windows.

The window to Mr Summer's office was closed and the blinds were drawn, so they shuffled over to where the receptionists' office was, slipping in through that open window.

"Mister Summers?" Evie called out, as they cautiously made their way into the building, quickly taking in relevant details, "The lights are all off… why would the lights be off if he's working late?"

Henry tried the light switch, only for nothing to happen. "Something wrong with the lights… wonderful."

And then they spotted the large hole in the wooden door.

"Evie…. What does that look like to you?"

Evie examined the hole, before coming to a conclusion. "Shotgun blast… Mister Summers, are you here?"

She pushed the damaged door open, pulling a small torch out of her belt and shining it into the room.

There… slumped over his desk, was Mister Summers, his throat slashed open in a manner very similar to the other victims.

"I think we can safely eliminate Mister Summers as a suspect." Evie sighed, gently closing the man's eyes, "Requiescat In Pace."

"I'll give Sergeant Abberline a call…" Henry sighed wearily, "… he needs to seal off the crime scene."

…

"Three shells spent…" Freddie reported, quickly checking the shotgun that had fallen to the floor near the desk, "One through the door and two through the glass…. It's almost like he was sitting there with his finger on the trigger."

"Like he was anticipating the attack?" Evie frowned, unable to take her eyes off the body, "Just like Martin Hardy?"

Over near the walls, Henry pulled a picture off of it and frowned, "You two should look at this… the victim is in it, as well as Mister Hardy."

Ezio, who peeked over Henry's shoulder, frowned in recognition. "Not just Summers and Hardy… all five victims are in this photo."

Nodding in agreement, Freddie sighed, "A hunting party… but who's the sixth bloke?"

"I know… there's something familiar about his face." Thinking to himself for a few moments, Ezio suddenly clicked his fingers, remembering when he first met Mister Summers, "He was with Mister Summers, they were clay disc shooting together… I didn't catch his name though."

"We'll run his face through the computer, and I'll have some of my officers ask around at the gun club, see if someone can identify him." Freddie then turned to Evie, "I think we need to find out a little more about this hunting party."

"Agreed…. Something happened for them all to be the targets of attacks like this."

…

"I'm sorry…" apologised Mrs Hardy, staring at the strange man in the photo, "… I don't- I don't recognise him. I don't recognise any of them, except Jake and my Martin of course."

"Mrs Hardy, I do apologise for this…" Freddie sighed, "… I was wondering if you knew when or where this photo was taken?"

She frowned and stared at the photo for a few more moments, before tapping on the scarf around Martin's neck. "The scarf…" she smiled tearily, "… I knitted it for his birthday last July."

Freddie frowned, nodding in understanding. "Do you know where he went to hunt last fall?"

"… The Wiscocian Lounge. I remember when he came back…" she frowned, "… He was so subdued… almost ill-tempered really. We argued about it, but he never told me what happened on that trip."

…

"We're still trying to find out who the man is…." Arno reported, as Freddie entered the Creed Headquarters. All we know is that he's not a member of the club, so he was likely Mister Summers' guest… but that makes finding his name difficult."

"Well I think I can help narrow things down."

"Oh?"

"Call the Wiscocian Lounge, get a list of everyone who stayed there last fall, then we should compare those names to the names on the gun club guest list."

The pair then stopped in their tracks when they heard footsteps rushing towards them… and then straight past them as Leo almost dropped all the files he was holding.

"I wonder what that was all about?" Arno asked in confusion, smirking as Leo almost rushed past Ezio's office.

"Who knows with Leo… hopefully it'll help us."

….

"Leo?" Ezio smiled gently as his partner suddenly barged into the room, "Can I help you?"

"Sì, I was doing my post-mortem on Mister Summers and I found something interesting."

"Oh?"

At this, Leo opened up his palm to reveal a rather large tooth, "Look at this! I found it in Mister Summer's fourth vertebrae! The lower right canine if I'm correct…. I suspect, given the size, that it belongs to a wolf."

Ezio gently took the tooth off Leo and frowned, "Which would support the theory that it's a wolf under a man's control."

"Well…. No." Leo took the tooth back, "Teeth, especially healthy teeth, don't just break off when they bite into flesh. And you know me, I get curious, so I did a bit more investigation into it, and look at this."

He pulled a small magnifying glass out of his pocket and held it over the bottom of the tooth, "A straight groove running right through the centre of the breaking point."

"Like… like the tooth has been drilled through?"

"Exactly!"

The pair stared at one another for a time, before Ezio smirked, placing the tooth on the desk and moving forwards until Leo was practically pinned against the wall, "Have I told you how much I adore you?" he whispered into Leo's ear, chuckling as the blonde-haired men squirmed.

"N-No, not recently."

"Hmmm, maybe I should change that il mio amore?"

Before he could set about showing Leo how much he loved the other man, there was a knock on the door and Freddie's voice spoke up. "Break it up you two, we have a murderer to catch remember?"

The voice was fond and amused, but Leo still flushed, pulling away from Ezio (but not without kissing the man on the cheek), before leaving the room. Once Leo was gone, Freddie headed inside and smirked at the flushed look on Ezio's face.

"Honestly… I can't leave you two alone for five minutes, can I?"

Ezio smirked and shrugged, "Hey, we're no worse than what you and Jacob used to be li- "

He stopped in his tracks, wincing at the look on Freddie's face, "- Sorry. Sorry, i- "

"- Don't apologise." Freddie waved his hand in dismissal and turned away, "You're right… me and Jacob did used to be like that… worse in fact sometimes."

"You really miss him."

There was a brief moment of silence, before Freddie nodded wearily. "So much… I miss him so much."


	5. Chapter 5

Previously in this series: After being framed for a crime, Jacob left the Order and the Assassin village. Five years later, the Young Assassin team meet Vex and enter into an agreement with him and his club. After a bombing at the club, it is revealed that Shay Patrick Cormac has escaped the high security prison he was in…. and is now in the wind. Jacob however, after making a brief appearance at a festival, is still in the wind.

Please enjoy, and read and review J

…

"The tooth was drilled into you say?" Freddie asked, as the rest the team gathered in the meeting room, "Why?"

There was no time to think about Jacob… he had to work.

"I spoke to Leo a little bit more after you rudely interrupted us…" Ezio teased, "… and he believes it's so that it can be bolted onto some kind of device. Which is probably how the killing is ripping the throats out of these people."

"To create the impression of a wolf." Freddie concluded wearily, "Great…. Just what we need."

There was a brief moment of silence, before Arno cleared his throat, "Well hopefully this is a touch of good news… we have a name for the mystery man. Francis Jenson."

"Excellent Arno…" Evie took a deep breath, "… We all need to remain on guard. Mister Jenson might be another victim, but he could easily be the killer as well… be on the look out for everything."

…..

As they approached the home of Mister Jenson, Ezio, Arno, Evie and Edward heard several gunshots, flashes of light illuminating the darkened windows.

Without hesitation, they all split up and chose to enter the house in multiple different ways, hoping to catch the attacker off guard.

Ezio and Arno lock-picked the front door, and entered that way, remaining close to the walls and hidden in the shadows.

And then they came across the giant hole in the wall, caused by another shotgun blast, similar to what was found in Mister Summer's office.

Up on the first floor, Edward and Evie made their way in through a partially open window and focused on the sound of an empty gun being cocked and fired over and over again.

Making their way to the top of the stairs, with Ezio and Arno making their way up from the bottom floor, they spotted Mister Jenson leaning against the wall, eyes wide in fear as he fired the gun over and over again.

"Mister Jenson?"

No response.

Evie crept a little closer, and gently held her hand out, "Put the gun down Mister Jenson."

When she managed to take the gun, Ezio came closer, and frowned. "Are you alright Mister Jenson?"

"I-It's impossible…" the man hissed, causing the others to frown in confusion.

"Mister Jenson… where did he go?"

With a shaking hand, Mister Jenson pointed towards the open window, where lace curtains were fluttering in the breeze. Immediately, Arno moved towards the window, using his eagle vision as he peered out, "We'll never catch him… the trails already weak, he's got too much of a head start."

There was a brief moment of silence, before Edward pulled his phone out of his pocket, "I'll give Connor a call."

….

"I don't understand why you two decided to come…." Connor growled as he followed the trail from the house, heading down towards the rivers and the sewers, "… I can manage fine on my own."

Vex and Kenzi glanced at one another, before Vex shrugged. "With the others dealing with Mister Jensen, we felt like you needed back-up."

"From a club owner and his girlfriend."

"I'm not his girlfriend…" Kenzi rolled her eyes, before unsheathing her katana, "… and we can take care of ourselves."

Connor chose not to comment, keeping his eyes on the tracks until they were face to face with the entrance to the sewers.

"Great…" Vex muttered under his breath, "… the sewers again. Are you sure you can track him in this mess?"

"… I can try."

The trio trudged through the dark and disgusting water, various amounts of muck sticking to their shoes. Vex and Kenzi followed Connor through several stone archways, going further and further into the endless maze that was the sewers.

And then they heard something being dropped on the ground.

"What was that?" Kenzi hissed, her grip tightening on her katana.

Connor was silent for a few moments, tilting his head to the side as he listened out for something in the distance. "Something's moving around in here… something fast

"Great, trapped in the sewers with a killer." Vex pulled a gun out of it's holster, "Not how I wanted to spend my day."

Everything was tense for a few minutes, all them remaining in the same spot and rotating around, trying to predict where the attacker would come from.

"VEX LOOK OUT!" Kenzi suddenly screamed, her eyes on something behind Vex.

Vex span around quickly and yelped in surprise, torches falling to the ground as everything fell into darkness.

As Connor desperately used his Eagle Vision in order to try and spot the attacker, there was a grunt of annoyance, and Vex growling. "Fuck off, you're not getting my throat again!"

There was a dull thud, like someone punching someone else, and then the light came back on, with Kenzi having pulled out her phone and using the flashlight on that to scan the area. Once she was sure that everything was clear, she practically fell to the ground beside Vex.

"Are you alright?" she asked desperately, as Vex nodded shakily.

"Bastard tried to go for my throat again."

There was no fresh blood, which made everyone sigh in relief. "That was one lucky hit…" Connor muttered in amazement, "… it's almost like you- "

"- it was a lucky hit." Vex interrupted, rubbing his head and wincing.

"Headache?"

"… I think I hit it against the wall when I fell."

Connor clearly didn't believe him but nodded anyway and helped Vex to his feet. "I think he went this way."

As he moved away, Kenzi turned to Vex and frowned. "Look, I know I said I saw a man last time we were down here… but I saw a wolf this time."

"It wasn't a wolf… a wolf would have killed me."

"I think he's left the sewers!" Connor announced, waiting until Vex and Kenzi caught up before they left the maze of stone tunnels.

When they were outside, Kenzi glanced around. "I think is where we entered the first time."

"You mean, when you weren't supposed to?"

Kenzi winced and gave Connor her best, winning smile.

"So…" Vex interrupted, wincing slightly, "… he's using the sewers to access different parts of the city?"

"Yeah… so what do we do now? Keep tracking him?"

The questions was aimed at Connor, who frowned and shook his head. "No… I think there's a quicker way to catch this killer."

…

"What happened on that hunting trip Mister Jensen?" Evie asked the shaken man in the interrogation room.

Silence.

"Don't feel like talking?" Freddie frowned, "Well let me just remind you of something… whatever happened has brought the wrath of God down on you and everyone who was with you."

"You should just tell us."

"Unless you want to take a risk on the next full moon?"

There was silence for a few minutes more before Mister Jensen shook his head nervously. "I-it was an accident!"

"… What was?"

"I-it was Jacob who pulled the trigger, but… it wasn't his fault, it was no-one's fault. W-we thought it was some animal!"

Freddie frowned, "But it wasn't…. Who was shot Mister Jensen?"

"Our guide… some Native American, we didn't get his name. He hit him square in the chest, there was nothing that could be done."

"So, he died…" Evie sighed, "… and then what happened?"

"… He didn't exactly die."

"What do you he didn't exactly die?" Evie was incensed now.

"No, but it was clear he was going to! He had a chest wound for fucks sake!"

"So what did you do?!"

"What could we do?! The sun was setting!"

"You didn't carry him out?" Freddie questioned, gently grabbing Evie when it looked like she was going to lunge forwards.

"You left him there to die? Alone?!" Evie snarled.

"… We covered him with branches and leaves… he couldn't have lived…. He couldn't have."


	6. Chapter 6

Previously in this series: After being framed for a crime, Jacob left the Order and the Assassin village. Five years later, the Young Assassin team meet Vex and enter into an agreement with him and his club. After a bombing at the club, it is revealed that Shay Patrick Cormac has escaped the high-security prison he was in…. and is now in the wind. Jacob however, after making a brief appearance at a festival, is still in the wind.

Please enjoy, and read and review J

…

"So, we're all in agreement that the man survived?" Ezio stated as Freddie and Evie left the interrogation room.

Freddie nodded, "Yes. And now he's seeking the bloodiest revenge ever."

"If it's a man though…" Kenzi piped up, "… then why do we keep seeing a wolf?"

"Because he's dressing like a wolf…. He might have been some kind of lycanthrope and the wolf holds some kind of psychological meaning or- "

"- Actually…" Connor interrupted Vex, "… he might be a shaman. I remember when I still lived in the village. When our shaman used to dance, he would wear the head and skin of a wolf. Easily confused if he comes rushing up to you."

"That would explain why I saw a wolf and Kenzi saw a man…" Vex realized, "… but why would a shaman work as a hunting guide."

"Shaman's aren't as… prevalent. Not with more and more young members of the village going to town and school. Christianity has a bigger influence."

"So, the shaman went from a high priest to a lackey for a bunch of country club bastards, who care so little about him, that they left him to die in the cold and dark…" raged Edward, "… and they didn't even know his name…. can anyone really blame him for wanting to tear their throats out?"

"Unfortunately…" Freddie sighed, "… the law doesn't work like that. He has killed five people, and the law is strict about that. Arno, do you think you can contact the lodge and see if anyone remembers this man?" He then turned to Evie, "Now, how do we catch him?"

There was silence for a few moments before Ezio cautiously spoke up.

"I think… Leo might be able to help."

…

"I thought I'd never get a chance to use this!" Leo exclaimed in excitement, rolling out a large piece of paper, "This is a map of all the sewer tunnels under this town… don't ask me what I cost to buy this, but I knew it would come in use someday!"

Ezio gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, as Vex pointed to a point on the map. "Well, here's where he entered the sewers, near Mister Jenson's house. And here, is where Mister Hardy was found, near another entrance/exit."

"There must be about one hundred miles of sewer tunnels, where do we even start?!" Freddie groaned.

"Actually…. Not anywhere." Evie leaned forwards, gently moving Vex to one side, "He can only travel through the main lines. So, if the police and Creed post guards at these main entrances and intersections, he'll be trapped."

….

"Got something!" Connor called out as they moved through the sewers, "We've got light."

Evie turned around and motioned for everyone to stay where they were and remain silent. "Lights off…" she whispered, "… if you're struggling, use your Eagle Vision… Vex and Kenzi, you'd better stay here."

"Fat chance of that happening."

Rolling her eyes, Evie didn't protest and led the rest of the team towards the source of light. It was coming from a large intersection of the tunnels, where four tunnels came together.

"This must be his lair."

"So, where's he?"

Bending down near the pile of rags that must serve as the man's bed, Ezio frowned. "This is still warm… he must have heard us coming."

"Jesus Christ…" Vex suddenly muttered, darting down and picking something up from the bedding, "… I think I found what he used to kill those men."

In his hand, he held a strange, almost trap-like device that had sharp, blood-stained teeth attached to it. Carefully, he pried it open, waiting until it snapped into place… with another press of a button, the trap-like device snapped shut, causing everyone to jump slightly.

"That would go through someone's throat like a knife through butter…" Arno hissed, "…. At least our wrist-blades are more humane."

And then they heard the growling.

In unison, everyone twisted around to face one of the corridors, where a 'wolf' was staring right at them.

"We know who you are!" Evie called out, hoping to snap the man out of the trance he was in, "We know what's happened to you! It's all over now!"

Slowly, the figure raised onto two feet, the growling continuing.

"He's got a knife…" Connor hissed in warning when it became clear that the man wasn't going to stop.

Everyone else had noticed, however, with Freddie and Vex immediately raising their guns and taking aim at the man.

"Mister Jensen is in prison!" Evie tried again, "Let justice take its' course! Surrender peacefully!"

"You're up against armed officers and assassins!" Freddie tried this time, only to wince when there was another feral growl and the man started to run towards them.

"Stand down! Stand down!"

When the man showed no signs of stopping, and Freddie hesitated in firing, Vex suddenly pushed the officer out of the way and fired two shots straight into the man's chest.

"Ezio, see if you can stop the bleeding!" Evie ordered, falling to her knees beside the fallen man, pressing her hands against the wounds, "Try and save your strength."

The man stared up and that, his gaze darting from man to man… until he spotted Connor.

As his hand reached out to try and pull the large Assassin closer, Evie pulled her friend closer. "He wants you, Connor."

Connor clearly didn't feel comfortable, but knelt by the man anyway, tensing as the man grabbed his collar and pulled him closer, hissing something in his ear, before falling limp.

"Requiescat in pace" Evie mumbled, before turning to Connor, "What did he say?"

"… Mingan. It's an old Native American word for wolf… I think it might have been his real name."

….

"I do feel bad…" Vex muttered as he and Kenzi made their way into the office of the club, "… something terrible happened to him, but he'd gone for me twice already… I wasn't giving him another chance."

"And… you kept that tooth thing because?"

Pulling out the device, Vex examined it carefully. "I think it might come in use…and the Creed has had traitors before, I don't trust it in their hands."

Kenzi was silent for a short time, before sighing wearily. "I understand the whole wolf thing, wanted to reclaim his identity and all that, PTSD and all… but what was with the full moon thing?"

"Poetic justice? They left him to die on a full moon, so he did the same for them

"Almost as dramatic as you… why did he run at us at the end though? He must have known someone would kill him! He was going up against trained assassins and an armed officer!"

"Maybe that's why he did it…" Vex sighed wearily, "… what else did he have to live for? He knew he'd get arrested, and with Jensen in jail, he'd done everything that he set out to do. Revenge gave him the strength to live… with that gone, well…"

Vex trailed off, glancing away from Kenzi as she stared at him intently.

"Revenge gives people strength…" she muttered, "… is it the same for you?"

"… When you begin a journey of revenge, start by digging two graves: one for your enemy, and one for yourself… I will not let revenge consume me like it consumed that man."

"Keep telling yourself that Vex. Keep telling yourself that."


End file.
